


Zebra? Where?

by taggiecb



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, No Smut, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 08:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19741957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taggiecb/pseuds/taggiecb
Summary: Harry and Louis are blissfully happy planning their wedding. Only one thing makes all the hard work detrimental to Harry. Louis' best friend and best man, Zayn. Zayn and Harry just can't seem to get along until Louis comes up with a plan to keep at least Harry in line for a few weeks.





	Zebra? Where?

**Author's Note:**

> This is so silly but gray hair don't care. It made me laugh to write it haha.

Harry is not cranky. He isn’t a toddler who hadn’t had a nap. He had a pretty nice nap this afternoon, not to mention that he’s a grown man and if he wants to scowl at the idea of going cake tasting with his mortal enemy, he’s allowed.

“Zayn is not your mortal enemy!” Louis sing songs from the kitchen. 

Harry follows his fiance’s intoxicating voice so that he can pout in front of someone. “I didn’t say that out loud.” He tells Louis who is smiling but clearly looks a little frazzled around the edges. Neither of them realised how much work planning a wedding is. 

“No, but you were thinking about it, and I really don’t have the energy for you two today.” 

“I don’t know why your best man needs to be here for trying cake anyway. It’s our decision.” Harry pouts again, this time not intentionally, and crosses his arms. 

“Because I invited him. I invited your best man as well, but he inconveniently made plan to go zip lining in the middle of the week.” Louis sighs and grabs his keys. 

Harry feels a bit bad about sulking. He knows that Louis tries to keep the peace between him and Zayn but They haven’t got along since the day they met and Harry doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. Harry thinks that the only way that Harry had made it far enough for Louis to actually ignore his best friend’s judgement and give Harry a chance was Harry’s best friend Niall who adores Zayn, and Harry is pretty certain that the feeling is mutual. But Niall, their loving buffer, isn’t here and all Harry can see coming their way is a disaster. 

Harry hears another sigh and it brings him back out of his brooding to see Louis coming toward him, face intent. “What-” Harry says before Louis has his arms wrapped around Harry’s shoulders and is kissing him. This isn’t a warm closed mouth peck, this is the start of something. An invitation. Harry has in the back of his mind that they’re going to be late if they keep down this road, but sex or cake tasting with dickhead Zayn, there’s no contest what he’s going to choose. 

He takes no time with formalities and reaches straight for sweet flesh of Louis’ behind. Louis immediately wraps himself around Harry’s waist and deepens the kiss, eliciting a filthy moan from Harry’s lips. If he wasn’t so turned on he would be embarrassed by how quickly he can be aroused by this man. 

“Bed?” Harry mumbles into Louis’ mouth, using his hands to grind Louis’ pelvis into his. 

“Mmm” Louis replies, digging his hand into the back of Harry’s hair and pulling just enough to send of jolt of pleasure straight to dick. “No.”

“No?” Harry practically whimpers, immediately changing his strategy. He can work just about anywhere. Except Louis is extracting himself from Harry’s grip. 

“No.” Louis repeats. He takes a shaky breath, and smooths his shirt down, but there’s no fixing the flush in his cheeks and the glaze of his eyes. “If you can manage to be a decent human being to Zayn today, and I mean the entire day” Louis points a finger at him before he adjusts himself. “Then you can have the rest.” 

Fuck Harry thinks. He knows he should be offended by this blatant blackmail, but all he can think is that Louis is edging him so he behaves himself and fuck him if that isn’t hot. He gives Louis a hard stare though, just to see if he can break him. Louis just stares back, clearly making this a hill to die on. 

“Okay,” He says, but sticks his lip out very prominently and puts his shoes on. 

He will probably need to see the dentist for the amount of time he had spent grinding his teeth, but he got through the cake tasting without one snide remark in Zayn’s direction. And it wasn’t for lack of trying on Zayn’s part. If he didn’t have the slight headache from keeping all of his witty remarks to himself. The small consolation is that Zayn seemed legitimately confused by the entire situation by the time they parted ways. 

The big consolation is that Louis made good on his promise. And it was worth it. Oh God was it worth it. 

“Was that really necessary? Harry says, still feeling boneless tangled in Louis’ arms. He’s not even fully undressed having drug Louis into the bedroom as soon as the door to their apartment is closed. 

“It was,” Louis groans, rolling onto his back and leveling Harry with a look. “I can normally endure whatever weird banter you two have going on, but I’m tired and I need to get shit done. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry strokes his arm. “I didn’t realise our feuding bothered you.” 

“The love of my life and my best friend at each other’s throats every moment they are together. What’s there to be bothered about?” Louis flips his wrist in mock nonchalance and sighs again. “It would really make all this wedding stuff go more smoothly if you could just tolerate him. At the very least.”

“And what are you going to do for him if he behaves himself?” Harry asks, wrapping his hand around Louis’ delicate wrist in a poor attempt to control a wave of unwarranted jealousy. Louis can clearly see right through him and laughs. 

“I’m not bribing you or anyone else with sex. I panicked earlier and didn’t know what else to do.” Louis smiles lazily. They’re still basking in the glow of that non bribe. “I usually just let Niall handle you two. He’s magic.” He pauses, watching Harry watch him. “But, if it helps, if Zayn is really getting to you and I can do anything to help you...decompress....I will do what I can. For the duration of the planning.” 

“Really?” Harry perks up. Wedding planning suddenly became fun and exciting again. 

“Only if you really need it.” Louis warns, but with a mischievous spark in his eye. “And only for wedding related situations. I was hoping all this forced time together would help your relationship, not hinder it.” 

“Oh you sweet, naive, optimistic little jellybean.” Harry koala wraps himself around Louis once again causing them both to erupt in giggles. 

“Nevermind, this is stupid. Let’s elope.” Harry barely stops himself before he full on slams the front door. That absolute piece of shit garbage human being actually told the florist that he doesn’t deserve his Louis. He called Louis his Louis. And Louis and Niall laughed. Fuck them all. He of course kept his mouth shut because he’s trying to be a good fiance and he loves Louis too much to ruin this for him. 

“It’s not stupid. I love you. We can get through this.” Louis kisses him after every sentence and it eases the tension in his shoulders slightly but not enough. 

“Did you hear what he said? That I didn’t deserve you? And you laughed???” 

“It was a joke H, everyone laughed. Including Zayn. You know he didn’t mean it.” 

“Do I? Do I know that?” Harry can hear himself getting louder. He is also completely incapable of stopping himself. “He called you his Louis!” He practically growls at the memory before he realises what Louis is doing. “What are you doing?” 

“Come on.” Louis says, stepping out of his jeans. “You need stress relief.” 

“Seriously? Right now?” Harry asks,wondering what his problem is as the words come out of his mouth. 

“Right now, pants off.” Louis commands. “This was the deal right?” 

Harry doesn’t know what to do. He’s mad, but Louis is hot. But Zayn’s an asshole. But Sex. 

“You can take out whatever aggression you have. As soon as the pants come off.” Louis says, voice calm but eyes dark, with a hint of a challenge in his smirk. 

“Fuck, ok.” The pants come off. 

Harry keeps to his word, and in return so has Louis. Despite the fact that him and Zayn have actually had stilted conversations, and even disagreed on a few small points in terms of planning, Harry has kept every single snide remark to himself. And when it gets to be too much, Louis makes everything better with his doting attention and sexy distractions. 

Maybe too good. Harry has found himself, after detaining his contempt for the man, not fully hating Zayn. He hasn’t admitted it out loud of course. There’s still room for resentment. But without Harry keeping the banter going, Zayn has actually been a decent human being. Which is good. In theory. In reality, Harry not wanting to kill Louis’ best friend means that Louis, being stressed as he is, isn’t throwing him any bones. 

He isn’t proud of it, but he has found himself, completely unintentionally of course,maybe exaggerating the situation a bit. 

They’ve just walked in the door from having a bit of a business dinner with their best men. A completely enjoyable evening actually, but Louis is looking so sweet and soft in his sleepy dinner wine haze that the sigh just escapes from his lips before he can stop it. 

Louis looks at him with sympathetic eyes and comes closer to rub his shoulders. 

“I’m so proud of you for they way you’re dealing with all of this. I know it’s not easy,” he tamps the guilt that flares up and nods, not quite able to meet Louis’ eyes. 

“But at least we have each other,” He says and finger to the edge of the top of Louis’ jeans. 

Louis melts into Harry and murmurs into the crook of his neck. “Yes we do,” 

Harry vows silently that it will be his last deception. He will fess up. 

“You were quiet today.” Louis says over a late night bowl of pasta. The day couldn’t have been more jam packed. A large group of both Harry and Louis’ friends decided it would be a good idea for them all to get fitted for their tuxes together. Almost a dozen men with vastly different tastes in fashion and all thinking that they are wildly hilarious. Everyone was loud and boisterous. Harry doesn’t even know how Louis would notice him in the crowd. But of course Louis noticed him. Louis is the most caring person Harry knows. He has to tell him. 

“Lou-” He starts but Louis takes his hand from across the table. 

“I know you don’t want to talk about the Z word…” He gives Harry an apologetic look. 

“Zebra? Where?” Harry tries to laugh but the attempt is feeble. There was a time not long ago that he would have found that joke hilarious. 

“But I’ve been watching,” Louis ignores Harry’s week jab at his best friend. “And I just...I don’t want to get my hopes up, but maybe someday…” 

“Oh my God Louis you’re killing me!” Harry bursts out, no longer able to contain this secret eating at him.

“What?” Louis jumps a little. 

“I don’t...hate Zayn.” Louis looks even more confused, maybe even a little suspicious. 

“What do you mean you don’t hate Zayn?” 

“I did, I really didn’t like him at all.” Harry cringes, God he doesn’t want to crawl into a hole and never come out. “But then we had that a few really great times together and….” Harry lifts his hands like there is nothing he can do about it. He can see the moment it clicks in Louis mind what has happened. 

“You were getting really great sex out of it so why stop right?” Louis’ arms are crossed across his chest now. 

“You were too.” 

“Do you know how much stress it has caused me knowing, thinking I should say, that you and Zayn just couldn’t get along? How many nights I stayed up worrying about it? Most of the bags under my eyes are because of you and Zayn!” Louis is yelling now but Harry still thinks he’s safe because he hasn’t used his really mad voice. Just his annoyed spouse one. “Did you plan to tell me? At all?” 

“I wanted to tell you!” Harry protests. “I have felt so guilty the last few weeks.”

“Weeks?!” Oops, there's the really mad voice. 

“I’m sorry! What can I do?” 

Louis stops at this. Apparently monetary gain wasn’t something that he had considered. Harry hasn’t taught him a thing. It’s an excruciating ten seconds of silence before Louis opens his mouth again. “I want what you got when Zayn was annoying you. Only better since you’re the one being a pain in my ass and I have to live with you.” 

“So sex?” Harry asks, just to be on the same page. 

“Louis sex. Sex for Louis and only Louis. Worship me.” Louis glares across their late night dinner, but there’s a twinkle of mischief in his eye that makes Harry a little more giddy than he should be for this conversation. 

“Can I also get off?” Harry asks as if for permission and fuck why is that so hot?

Louis looks him dead in the eye. “I don’t care if you do or not.” 

“Why does that turn me on?” Harry asks, getting up from the table and grabbing Louis on the way to the bedroom. 

“Because you’re a strange and dirty man.” Louis replies “It’s one of the reasons why I’m marrying you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr Post!](https://taggiecb.tumblr.com/post/186174023847/zebra-where-harry-and-louis-are-blissfully) Thank you for reading!


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